An ambulance on St. Croix. Photo: VI CONSORTIUM

According to V.I.P.D. Director of Communications Glen Dratte, on Friday at approximately 9:59 p.m., the 911 Emergency Call Center received ShotSpotter reports of shots being fired in the Paradise Mills Housing Community. Moments later, 911 operators received calls from residents who reported that there was a gunshot victim in the same community.

Units from the Wilbur H. Francis Command were dispatched to the area and located the gunshot victim lying in a grassy area near Building 1. 

According to the officers, the victim, a black male wearing dark clothing and a dark stocking cap on his head, was lying face down in the grass. 

Emergency Medical Technicians were present and applied life-saving services, and proceeded to transport the victim to the Juan F. Luis Hospital where he was pronounced dead by an Emergency Room physician, the V.I.P.D. said.

The victim, identified by next of kin as 31-year-old Deshawn Huggins, sustained a gunshot wound to his upper torso, police said.